Overheating at high speed / rpm

Asked by joemaker May 30, 2017 at 04:46 PM about the 1998 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport AWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I own a 98 subaru impreza outback with 130k miles. It was running great until I
recently started a longer highway commute.
Overheating only seems to occur after the car has been driving for a while, and
at rpms above 3.5k (ish), ie. when accelerating to merge or driving up a hill.
I have a feeling it might be a head gasket leak, but am unsure, I just replaced the
oil and didn't notice any white coloration.
Since I noticed the issue I've been keeping my car under 3.5k rpm, but as soon
as I accelerate above that the thermostat pings to nearly max then back down to
middle repeatedly, it will middle out after a while of lower rpm driving.

Are there any additional ways to check if it might be the head gasket?

Thanks!

1 Answer

Do a complete cooling system service and hope that it fixes your problem - hoses, flush, new coolant and thermostat. If the water pump is worn out it is a fairly big job to replace.

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